Clinton's comments did not do much to enhance her credibility as a president who could restore the United States' "moral authority". In the past eight years, the United States government has practiced unilateralism and violated basic human rights and international laws while simultaneously expecting people to believe its rhetoric of democracy and freedom. U.S. Leaders will not be able to solve problems in the world today by continuing this policy. If there is one thing that can disarm dictators in their fight with the United States and bring about negotiations between the two parties it is the level of "moral authority" the U.S. leaders present not just the use of force itself.

Also, millions of people beyond the U.S. borders will follow this year's presidential elections. Senator Clinton's use of negative tactics is at odds with her message of bringing an "end the George W. Bush course". How can people trust someone who basis her continuance in the primary race on a suggestion that something might happen to her rival similar to what happened to Bobby Kennedy in June 1968?

In the last few months Sen. Clinton has done everything to damage the image of Sen. Obama. She was among the rare presidential candidates who praised the candidate of the other party at the expense of her rival in the Democratic Party. But, Obama's reaction to the "assassination gaffe" indicates a shift away from the old politics of the Bush administration and Clinton campaign. Rather than attacking Clinton, Obama gave her the benefit of the doubt and brushed aside the comment. His reaction is notably different than Clinton's reaction to the "bitter" comment before the Pennsylvania primary.

Now the main question is if Clinton cannot use moral tactics to gain the nomination, how can she expect to gain the trust of millions of people as a moral president?

Clinton's poor reference to a tragic incident may be just a terrible mistake, but, nevertheless, it does not reflect values that would enhance the United States "moral authority" should she go to the White House.

2 Comments:

I was considering myself "Muslim by default", as I am neither drawn to Islam any longer nor can I fit in with the Western culture. The whole thing started with having a lot of philosophical questions about god but I had just arrived in US and no person was there to answer them for me. I studied sciences and after that I became even more skeptical though I never found another belief-system. Belief in authority of sciences in answering questions about meanings and life/death is ridiculous, though Science has shown itself useful in certain areas such as medical sciences but also killing machines.

Of course, after 9/11 attacks, and the tremendous powers of neocons and the Jewish lobby in US, I can not watch any program on TV or movie or even read a book that does not in one way or other denigrate Islam and Muslims. When I go to websites like Yahoo Answers or Wikipedia, it makes me sick to my stomach how much intentional misinformation and lies are being spread about the Islam and the very people in countries who are oppressed because of dictatorial government that Western powers brought to power and support.

There are under 20 million Jews in the world yet the slightest negative remark is reported quickly and deleted in websites such as Wikipedia and yahoo Answers. Yet I read questions about Islam that simply infuriates me, and on occasion I have spent hours trying to answer to them and I sure lose sleep over this. When people, some ignorantly and others intentionally, accuse the prophet of pedophilia or say things like Jihadist or Islamofascism, it makes me very upset. There is a Wikipedia entry for "Jew Watch" calling it antisemitic but there's no entry for "Islam Watch". Why?

Why is it that the only time Iran or Islam is mentioned in my textbooks is to talk about terrorism? Iran's amazing history of contributing to world literature, poetry, etc is always ignored. Islam's contribution to sciences (Abu Ali Sina) is ignored. Iran=Islam=Terrorism as far as many are concerned. And they say "terrorism" is never justified which does not mean life is precious so much as it means we should never ask why so many people have lost confidence in their governments and believe in a bunch of thugs to represent them! They radicalize oppressed Muslims by killing Millions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine (Iran next?) and then blame people and religion for being violent!

When there are so many references to "terrorist" when speaking of Palestinians but no reference to "state terrorism" when speaking of Israel or US (killing several million people in Afghanistan and Iraq and Palestine), it makes me feel there is no justice in the world.

I am college educated and I know how various definitions are being twisted to serve the purposes of the rich who have no conscience, who want to sell guns, to "Westernize" the world and impose their empty consumeristic cultures on what they call "backward" Muslims. Yet they say Islam was spread by violence!

At times I have considered opening a website or forum for Iranians to talk about how they feel. Yet I can only imagine that the paranoia amongst Iranians (you're pro government...you're pro Shah...etc) can make it a hell to operate. Similarly I wonder if asking too many questions about governments and businesses would get it closed down quite quickly.

I never know who to turn to for describing how I feel and discussing all the racism.

I want to make clear that I consider many people of different races and religions my friend. It is those politicans and businessmen that I despise. I find it too sad that Iran with 70 million people and Islam with 1.3 billion people does not have many people who can defend it.

It is strange how I have come to defend Iranians and Muslims after so many of them have turned their back on their own people. Yet US and many others are using the excuse of nuclear Iran and terrorist Islam to be racist against Arabs and Iranians.

I was considering myself "Muslim by default", as I am neither drawn to Islam any longer nor can I fit in with the Western culture. The whole thing started with having a lot of philosophical questions about god but I had just arrived in US and no person was there to answer them for me. I studied sciences and after that I became even more skeptical though I never found another belief-system. Belief in authority of sciences in answering questions about meanings and life/death is ridiculous, though Science has shown itself useful in certain areas such as medical sciences but also killing machines.

Of course, after 9/11 attacks, and the tremendous powers of neocons and the Jewish lobby in US, I can not watch any program on TV or movie or even read a book that does not in one way or other denigrate Islam and Muslims. When I go to websites like Yahoo Answers or Wikipedia, it makes me sick to my stomach how much intentional misinformation and lies are being spread about the Islam and the very people in countries who are oppressed because of dictatorial government that Western powers brought to power and support.

There are under 20 million Jews in the world yet the slightest negative remark is reported quickly and deleted in websites such as Wikipedia and yahoo Answers. Yet I read questions about Islam that simply infuriates me, and on occasion I have spent hours trying to answer to them and I sure lose sleep over this. When people, some ignorantly and others intentionally, accuse the prophet of pedophilia or say things like Jihadist or Islamofascism, it makes me very upset. There is a Wikipedia entry for "Jew Watch" calling it antisemitic but there's no entry for "Islam Watch". Why?

Why is it that the only time Iran or Islam is mentioned in my textbooks is to talk about terrorism? Iran's amazing history of contributing to world literature, poetry, etc is always ignored. Islam's contribution to sciences (Abu Ali Sina) is ignored. Iran=Islam=Terrorism as far as many are concerned. And they say "terrorism" is never justified which does not mean life is precious so much as it means we should never ask why so many people have lost confidence in their governments and believe in a bunch of thugs to represent them! They radicalize oppressed Muslims by killing Millions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine (Iran next?) and then blame people and religion for being violent!

When there are so many references to "terrorist" when speaking of Palestinians but no reference to "state terrorism" when speaking of Israel or US (killing several million people in Afghanistan and Iraq and Palestine), it makes me feel there is no justice in the world.

I am college educated and I know how various definitions are being twisted to serve the purposes of the rich who have no conscience, who want to sell guns, to "Westernize" the world and impose their empty consumeristic cultures on what they call "backward" Muslims. Yet they say Islam was spread by violence!

At times I have considered opening a website or forum for Iranians to talk about how they feel. Yet I can only imagine that the paranoia amongst Iranians (you're pro government...you're pro Shah...etc) can make it a hell to operate. Similarly I wonder if asking too many questions about governments and businesses would get it closed down quite quickly.

I never know who to turn to for describing how I feel and discussing all the racism.

I want to make clear that I consider many people of different races and religions my friend. It is those politicans and businessmen that I despise. I find it too sad that Iran with 70 million people and Islam with 1.3 billion people does not have many people who can defend it.

It is strange how I have come to defend Iranians and Muslims after so many of them have turned their back on their own people. Yet US and many others are using the excuse of nuclear Iran and terrorist Islam to be racist against Arabs and Iranians.